"All set?" Ben called to Luca.
Luca nodded from his position near the controls. "Ready when you are."
The engine hummed to life beneath them, a gentle vibration that Amelia could feel through the deck. She gripped the edge of her seat as the boat moved away from the dock, slowly at first, pulling away from the marina with a slow, steady motion.
Amelia relaxed as they glided away from the dock and into the open water of the lake. The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow across the water, creating a shimmer that caught her eye. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the fresh air and the gentle breeze that played with loose strands of her hair.
Ben came to sit beside her, leaving a bit of space between them. He stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles. Lacing his fingers across his abdomen, he tilted his head back. The breeze lifted his curls, while the sun turned his skin a golden bronze.
He had always been the most handsome man in the world to Amelia, and that hadn’t changed. But he was so much more than his good looks, and she was blessed to know that.
"You look beautiful today," he said, turning his head to smile at her.
Heat rose in her cheeks. "Thank you."
He’d always told her that. No matter what she’d been wearing, he’d told her she was beautiful. She could be made up for a special date or just finished with a workout. It hadn’t mattered.
"I'm really glad I could come out tonight," Amelia said. "The weather is perfect."
"It is," Ben agreed, his eyes still on her face. "It was so cloudy this morning that I was worried the forecast was wrong and that it might rain."
“Guess they weren’t wrong for a change.”
Ben grinned. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m not starving, but I could eat if you are hungry.”
“I am, actually. Connie prepared some steaks for us,” Ben said, drawing his legs in as he sat forward. “I hope you’re in the mood for that.”
“I haven’t had steak in awhile,” Amelia said. “So this will be a treat.”
“I still have to cook them, so they might not be quite as good as when Connie makes them.”
Luca glanced over his shoulder as Ben and Amelia moved to the small cooking area. “Do you want me to anchor?”
Ben looked around. “Find us a spot not too close to other boats, then drop anchor.”
“Will do.”
Within five minutes, Luca had slowed the boat to a stop and dropped the anchor. Amelia took a seat at the table, watching as the men got the barbecue going.
“How do you like your steak?” Ben asked as he removed things from the small fridge and also an insulated bag.
“Will it offend you if I say medium-well?”
Ben laughed. “I’m not a chef, so all I care about is cooking it the way you’d like to eat it.”
“How do you like yours?”
“I’m medium-rare,” he said. “Not quite bloody.”
Ben put a couple of foil-wrapped packages on the grill, then added the steaks. Just as he had their previous time on the boat, he moved with confidence and ease around the barbecue. She wondered if he did a lot of grilling in his life.
Once the steaks were done, Ben brought them over to the table with the rest of the food.
Amelia was amazed at the spread that Connie had provided for them. Steaks. Twice-baked potatoes. Roasted carrots. A salad. And golden dinner rolls. They looked freshly made.
“Everything looks delicious,” she said as Ben shut down the grill.
